Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide –
current indications except for AMD
Hans Hoerauf (Lübeck)
In this lecture an overview over the variety of indications and current results of intravitreal triamcinolone
acetonide except for its use in age related macular degeneration will be given. IVT
has increasingly been applied as treatment for various retinal disorders. With respect to effect
and side-effects of the treatment, the best response in terms of gain in visual acuity and reduction
of macular thickness has been achieved for diseases with intraretinal edema such as diffuse
diabetic macular edema, branch retinal vein occlusion, central retinal vein occlusion,
pseudophakic cystoid macular edema and secondary to uveitis. IVT may be also useful as angiostatic
drug in eyes with iris neovascularization and proliferative retinopathy or in eyes with
chronic ocular hypotony to induce an increase of intraocular pressure. Complications of IVT
are: secondary ocular hypertension, posterior subcapsular cataract, postoperative infectious endophthalmitis and non-infectious
endophthalmitis. At a dosage of 4mg the duration of the effect is about 2-4 months and IVT-injection may be repeated.
Furthermore, IVT can be combined with cataract surgery, particularly in eyes with iris neovascularization or uveitis or can
be used as an adjunct during vitrectomy. The current knowledge on the use of IVT will be presented.